Dishwasher



Dec. 13, 1955 OXFORD 2,726,666

DISHWASHER Filed Oct. 6, 1952 GEORGE R. OXFORD INVENTOR.

A T TORNE Y United States Patent 9 2,726,66 DISHWASHER George R;. Oxford, Fort Worth, Tex. Application October 6, 1952, Serial No. 313,279

Cl im (Cl, 34-58) This invention relates to dishwashers and the like and, more particularly, to an improved dishwashing apparatus adapted for automatic or semi-automatic operation.

An object of this invention is to provide, in a dishwasher, a construction which will thoroughly clean and rinse dishes and, particularly, articles having recessed areas such as glasses, cups, pots and pans. A further object is to provide a construction which Washes such articles more thoroughly and efficiently than prior devices.

Another object is to provide a construction which uses minimum amounts of cleanser solution and rinse water, and washes articles following the recognized principle that a plurality of small washes or rinses superior to a lesser number of larger washes or rinses involving the same total volumes.

An a d ional ject is to furni h. a constr i n her in wash solution impinges on surfaces to be Washed with considerable velocity, thereby loosening particles of food and dirt mechanically, as well as through the usual action of cleanser solutions. Another object is to furnish a construction wherein the paths of movement of impinging liquid streams are largely oblique with respect to the faces or mouths of articles being washed so that the liquid reaches difficultly accessible shoulders and the like on the articles.

Further objects include the provision, in a dishwasher, of a rotary spray head reversing in direction of rotation, and the provision of an axially reciprocating spray head and, particularly, the provision of a spray head both reversingly rotating and reciprocating along its axis to completely traverse articles being Washed and thereby Wash and rinse them thoroughly and efficiently. An important object is to provide in a dishwasher a rotary reciprocating spray head having liquid ejection ports located relatively near the faces or mouths of articles being washed so that the aforementioned oblique paths which result from tangential propelling forces form small, acute angles with the faces or months of the articles.

Other objects include the provision of a dishwashing apparatus which is adaptable to various size installations and which is especially suited for use in the small home type of installation, which is compact, and which is relatively economical in construction and operation.

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent on consideration of the following description and accompanying drawing illustrating preferred embodiments of the invention in which the various parts are identified by like reference characters in each of the views, and in which:

Figure l is a broken elevation and partly sectional view of a dishwasher embodying the features of the invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view of a pulley shown engaging a driven tube, the latter in section;

Fi ure 3 is a plan view of a spray head illustrating the paths of liquid flow in washing a cooking utensil.

Figure 4 is an elevational and sectional view of an alternate construction of a spray head assembly embodying the features of the invention.

In Figures 13 of the drawing, there isshown a cylindrical housing or tub 10 supported on a frame 11, andwhich tub includes a removable lid 12 having a handle 13.

thereon. The bottom 14 of the tub 10 is depressed in one area, as at 15, where it communicates with a drain 16 and is turned inwardly, as at 17 and upwardly at its center 18 and includes a central opening 19 through which extends a spray head assembly 20. The spray head assembly includes a vertical externally threaded driven tube 21 which engages threads 22 in the base central opening 19v and a second threaded portion 23 spaced below the former and supported by a hanger 24 including a flanged tubular member, depending from the base of the tub. The threaded tube 21 is provided with external longitudinal keyways 25 for slidably engaging a horizontally disposed pulley 26 provided with splines or keys 27. The pulley 26 is connected by a belt 28 to areversible electric motor 29 mounted on the frame 11.

Mounted Within the driven tube 21 is a non-rotating feed tube 3% separated from the driven tube by antifriction hearings, in the embodiment shown in Figures 1-3. The feed tube 39 is connected at its lower end through an elbow 32 to a flexible tube 33 leading from a source of cleanser or rinse solution, not shown, and it has a laterally extending circumferential flange on its upper end. A small distance below the upper flange is a circumferential later,- ally extending shoulder 35 integral with the feed tube and having a depending integral flange 36 around its outer edge. A cylindrical spray head 37 is mounted above the upper end of the driven tube 21 and secured to rotate with it by L-shaped supports 38 connecting the driven tube to the spray head. The spray head is provided with radial ejection ports 39 in its side wall which are directed toward the inner wall of the tub 10. Centrally of the base of the spray head is an opening 40, and the adjoining portion of the base is shaped to fit closely between the shoulder 35 and the upper flange 34, so that a minimum of liquid escapes from the spray head.

in the embodiment shown in Figure 4, the spray head 41 is in the form of a tube 42 and is integral at its center with a driven tube 43 which also serves as a feed tube and which threadedly engages an internally threaded collar 44 secured to the base 45 of a housing or tub. This driven tube is connected by means of a rotatable connection 46 to a flexible tube 47. A similar pulley 48 is shown and is keyed to the driven tube 43 in the same manner as is is puiley 25 keyed to the first named driven tube 21. The tubular spray head 42 is provided with ejection ports not shown, in its ends.

As shown in Figure l, a projecting lug 49 is connected to the elbow 32 secured to the lower end of the feed tube 36, and the lug is arranged to contact and move lateral projections 53% and 51 extending from a slidably movable actuating bar 52 which in turn engages a limit switch 53 through a projection 54 on the bar positioned within a yoke arm 55 of the limit switch. The lug contacts one of the lateral projections 50 and 51 at each end of its vertical travel, to throw the switch 53 and reverse the direction of rotation of the motor 29, which is connected with the switch by means of electrical conductors housed in a conduit 56 extending from the switch to the motor.

In operation, described with particular reference to Figures l3, the motor 29 is started and the flexible tube 33 is connected to a supply of cleanser solution or rinse water, as the case may be. Assuming that the spray head 37 is positioned near the bottom of the tub 10 as shown in Figure l, the pulley 26 rotates corresponding to the direction of rotation of the motor 29, in turn rotating the driven tube 21 through the keys 27 and the keyways 25 on the tube. At the same time the driven tube moves upwardly due to the action of its threads engaging the threaded portions 18 and 23. In the embodiment shown in Patented Dec. 13, 1955 Figure 1, the feed tube 30 moves upwardly with the driven tube 21 but does not rotate. The rotation of the spray head 37 imparts tangential propelling forces to the liquid in the spray head, which is'also under pressure from the supply of liquid, and liquid is ejected through the ejection ports 39 following paths which are oblique with respect to the faces or mouths of articles to be washed, which are located around the wall of the tub 10 and face inwardly, as illustrated in Figure 3. The spray head assembly 20 travels upwardly until the spray head 37 is near the top of the tub, at which point the lug 49 contacts the upper lateral projection 50 on the actuating bar 52, the raised positions of the apparatus being shown in broken lines in Figure 1. Through the action of the actuating bar 52 and the limit switch 53, the direction of rotation of the motor 29 is reversed so that the spray head assembly 20 travels downwardly and the spray head 37 rotates in the reverse direction, the'latter ejecting liquid which follows paths as shown in dotted lines in Figure 3. When the spray head reaches a point near the bottom of the tub, the

lug 49 contacts the lower lateral projection 51' on the actuating bar 52, again reversing the direction of rotation of the motor and of the spray head assembly, and the process is repeated. Thus, the spray head 37 travels completely across the articles being washed in its vertical movement, and its reversing rotary action causes liquid to impinge on the articles obliquely so as to reach the interiors and particularly difiicultly accessible surfaces in the interiors of vessels being washed. The flexible tube 33 is connected by means not shown to a supply of cleanser solution or rinse water as needed to provide the proper wash cycle.

This invention is not limited to the specific construction shown and described, but may be made in many ways within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a dishwasher or the like, a vertically disposed tub arranged for positioning articles to be washed therein and around the wall thereof, a driven member extending vertically into said tub through and centrally of thebase thereof and mounted for vertical movement and for rotation about a vertical axis, a spray head secured to said driven member within said tub and laterally directed with respect to the axis of said driven member, means for simultaneously vertically reciprocating and reversingly rotating a said driven member and said spray head as a unit, and means carried by said driven member for connecting said I spray head to a supply of liquid.

2. In a dishwasher or the like, a vertically disposed tub arranged for positioning articles to be washed within it and around its wall, a driven member extending vertically into said tub through and centrally of the base of said tub and mounted for vertical movement and for rotation about a vertical axis, a spray head secured to said driven member,

ment when said spray head reaches a position near either of the upper and lower extremities of said tub, and means carried by said driven member for connecting said spray head to a supply of liquid.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 703,089 Schuck June 24, 1902 1,080,704 Lilleberg Dec. 9, 1913 1,928,621 Frede et a1 Oct. 3, 1933 Bilde Oct. 22, 1940 

